“That’s 100 percent true,” said Sherman. “And I’ve said worse. And I’ve said worse to Doug [Baldwin], and I’ve said worse to [Jermaine] Kearse. Because iron sharpens iron, as one man sharpens another.”

Sherman went on to say that Wickersham’s story was “nonsense,” and that it ascribed more importance to the “You fucking suck!” moment than was appropriate. “If you told me that that moment derailed our season, and we went straight downhill from there, I’d say, ‘Wow, he’s on to something. That’s incredible. That’s a great story,’” said Sherman. “What happened was we were a yard away from winning another Super Bowl.”